An Anthology of Scenes
by Lariren-Shadow
Summary: A collection of drabbles for Zutara Month
1. Week 1

**A/N: **Welcome to Zutara Month! I'm going to be doing this, spur of the moment decision and all. I'm going to update at the end of each week but the drabbles will be posted daily (or try to be posted daily) on my tumblr (lariren-shadow). Here we go!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own.

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><p><strong>1 Hidden<strong>

Katara snooped. It was part of who she was. She fully embraced it while still getting annoyed when her friends called her out for doing so.

It's how she was.

Snooping, however, sometimes lead to her finding things that surprised her. Like that wanted poster of Toph or that really terrible (possibly dirty) drawing of Suki Sokka had done. Or the three broken half carved stones she just found in the draw of Zuko's desk. They'd been together of almost a year now and they'd even talked about their future but seeing the stones somehow made everything feel real.

As she finished practicing writing "Fire Lady Katara" for about the fiftieth time Zuko walked into his office. She looked up and pointed to the three stones on his desk. "That's a Northern Water Tribe tradition," she said as a greeting.

Zuko opened and closed his mouth before asking "then what should I do?"

"Well you already have a house for us so all you need to do is ask."

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><p><strong>2 Sleep<strong>

Zuko appreciated his sleep. He'd had too many nightmares in his life not to love a fully nights sleep. He strove to have his restful time uninterrupted and regularly requested that the guards in the hall learn to walk just a little bit quieter to help.

Tonight, however, he was perfectly happy to have his precious rest interrupted by his daughter, standing in the doorway clutching her stuffed turtleduck crying for Daddy and Mommy because the thunder storm scared her. That night he got kicked and poked by her but it was worth it.

And in the morning Katara healed the bruises.

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><p><strong>3 Confession<strong>

Katara dodged the fire whip as she sent an answering water one in return. Zuko smirked as he sent a blast to her not quite steady feet. She barely managed to avoid the fire, giving Zuko the opportunity to tackle her to the ground.

As he pinned her to the ground, arms securely in his grasp above her head he whispered "admit it, you watch me practice firebending because you like what you see."

She smirked. "Its true, you light my fire when you bend."

"Even Sokka could do better than that," he grumbled before kissing her.

"Ew," their children chorused as they entered the practice grounds.

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><p><strong>4 Garden<strong>

She tries to plant snowdrops. It's a little piece of home in the heat of her new homeland. She tries, tries, tries to make them grow and thrive.

She orders more in hopes that maybe some will bloom.

Ursa comes to visit while she's trying to make the second batch grow. "It takes time," she tells the younger woman. "And patience. Just like anything that's worth it."

Katara appreciates her encouragement.

Soon the snowdrops bloom with the fire lilies and she makes a crown for her daughter's head.

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><p><strong>5 Sadness<strong>

He watches his little girl laugh at something her new husband says. Soon, he reminds himself, he'll have to stop thinking of her as his little girl. She's already grown up and about to start a new life.

"You feel it too?" His wife asks as she sits next to him.

"She's our baby," he whispers.

Katara nods. "She always will be."

"She needs us."

Katara smiles a small, sad smile. "Not for everything but for some things she'll always need us."

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><p><strong>6 Quiet<strong>

Katara hates silence. It reminds her of her dad after her mom died. It reminds her that Sokka isn't feeling like himself because he's not talking a mile a minute. It reminds her of holding Aang's almost lifeless body in her arms.

She doesn't like it.

She hates that Zuko is quiet. She hates it and hates it and tells him about it loudly.

But she comes to appreciate his silence when he doesn't question her or judge her after she confronts Yon Rha.

In that moment she loves how quiet he is.

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><p><strong>7 Melt<strong>

The ice cream dripped on to her knee as she tried to eat it before it all melted. "This is really good," she said between licks. "I can't believe no one in the Water Tribes thought to make a frozen dessert."

Zuko, currently distracted by the way Katara's tongue kept darting in and out of her mouth gave a unintelligible reply.

She held out the cone to him. "Do you want a lick?" She asked as the sweet cream melted on to her fingers.

What he really wanted was to lick it off her fingers but managed to politely lick the actual dessert.

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><p><strong>Reviews are awesome<strong>


	2. Week 2

**8 Storm**

Katara pulled the blanket closer as she wiggled closer to Zuko. "You're such an idiot sometimes," she said.

"I wasn't the one who insisted that I apologize to Song in person, without guards, and then said 'oh since you know the area we don't need a map.' I wandered! I had no idea where I was then and I have no idea where we are now!" Zuko complained.

"We're in a cave while a storm rages outside and you're an idiot!"

"If you keep calling me that you can go sit in the other corner and I'll let the fire go out and you can't share my heat."

"…I'm sorry you're the most intelligent firebender I've ever met and I appreciate your heat."

"There's still an insult in that sentence."

"Take it or leave it or I'll constantly bend the storm at you."

"You're welcome to keep sitting next to me."

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><p><strong>9 Fight<strong>

"You can't just walk away while I'm yelling at you!" Zuko shouted.

"Yes I can you stupid jerk!" Katara screamed.

"And I'm sick of you to bickering," Toph muttered from a safe distance as Zuko stalked after Katara's retreating figure.

"They're at it again?" Sokka asked as he sat down next to Toph.

"Yup."

"Can't they just kiss and make up?"

"Oh they've kissed all right but I think they like the fighting. It's their thing."

"…I don't think I needed to know that about my little sister."

Meanwhile the feisty love birds were, in fact, kissing and making up.

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><p><strong>10 Legend<strong>

Katara thanked every Spirit she could name (with extra thanks to Yue) as the curtain closed. While she thought the end of 'Love Amongst the Dragons' was sweet she, well, she hated the rest of the play.

She would never, however, admit that to her husband or mother-in-law. She knew how much the play meant to both of them.

That night as she and Zuko lay curled up in bed he whispered "thank you," into her hair.

"For what?" She asked as she rolled over to face him.

"For sitting through the play. Next time I'll ask if they can perform something else."

She kissed his nose. "You don't have to," she paused, "but if you insist how about something about the Painted Lady?"

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><p><strong>11 Touch<strong>

He has very little feeling in the left side of his face. He's certain he's imagined the sensations when Katara gently runs her fingers of his scar.

She's one of the few people he let's even get close to the damaged flesh.

When his daughter's inquisitive hands reach out and touch his scar he swears he feels lightning as the not yet one year old explores her father's face.

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><p><strong>12 Frozen<strong>

(companion to Melt)

Katara handed Zuko her newest creation with an excited smile. "It's kind of like the ice cream you gave me but I just froze juice instead," she said happily.

He tentatively likes the treat and makes and approving sound. "It's good," he comments as juice dribbles down his chin.

Katara suddenly wants to kiss the juice off him and see if his lips taste like the cherry flavored treat she gave him.

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><p><strong>13 Candles<strong>

Candles, Katara thinks, are supposed to be romantic. She's not sure why she thinks this and she can't remember who told her this but this is a fact.

For her first wedding anniversary she decides to decorate the bedroom with candles. She spends the day trying to gather as many as possible and then spends almost an hour lighting them all (she will not ask one of the firebending guards to do it for her). Earlier they decided to have a special dinner another night as Zuko had a late meeting with his council that Katara didn't need to be in (she'd forced her way into enough meetings to know which were important and which were dreadfully boring).

She changes into the nice silk nightgown Zuko loved and spreads herself out on the bed to wait for him.

Two hours later she wakes up to Zuko throwing water at the tapestry that's currently on fire. She rubs her eyes as she sits up and says "I thought this would be romantic."

Zuko waves his arm around and the other flames go out. "You, lying on the bed, is all I need," Zuko purrs.

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><p><strong>Reviews are awesome<strong>


	3. Week 3

**A/N: **Apparently "Treasure" is really popular.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own.

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><p><strong>14 Dynamic<strong>

Once the Gaang has settled into the Beach House Katara and Zuko form a strange routine. He wakes up before everyone else and has a warm cup of tea ready when she trudges downstairs to make breakfast. She brings lunch out after he finishes firebending practice with Aang. At night they both wash the dishes because no one else wants to.

When Sokka finally mentions this to both of them they shrug it off. They work well together and, while they were originally surprised about this, have decided that this dynamic works for them.

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><p><strong>15 Treasure<strong>

"My treasure," he whispers into her hair as they lay curled together on a couch. She thinks the pet name is a little weird, but then again Suki calls Sokka Sokkums so she's not one to complain.

Each time he uses it she loves it more.

She's surprised when he calls her that in front of his uncle. Iroh's eyes are wide as he watches Zuko leave the room, claiming he has letters to answer before bed.

"That is certainly new," the old general comments.

"Huh?" She asks as she sips her tea.

"I suspect he hasn't told you the meaning behind your pet name." She shakes her head. "Dragons love treasure and will defend theirs with their lives. So when a firebender, especially a royal firebender, calls his love that she is the most precious thing in the world to him."

The warmth she feels bubble up inside of her is decidedly not from the tea.

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><p><strong>16 Switch<strong>

"I hate you and I wish I wasn't a Fire Nation princess!" Zuko's second daughter screamed at him before slamming her door shut. Zuko hung his head as Katara came up behind him.

"What did I do wrong this time?" He asked her.

"Nothing as far as I know. She's fourteen and has your temper," Katara cooed as she rubbed his back. He glanced at her sideways. "Ok and my temper too. I'll talk to her."

Later that night Katara and Zuko discussed how best to deal with their second child's current annoyance. A week later mother and daughter (first waterbender born to the Fire Nation royal family) set out on a diplomatic and waterbending trip to the South Pole.

Two months later the younger waterbender burst into the throne room after racing up from the dock, wearing traditional Water Tribe dress. Zuko had just about enough time to dose the flames in front of him before she threw herself into her father's arms. "I'm sorry I was angry at you and I missed you and I love you and I really don't wish I wasn't a princess and I'm sorry and Uncle Sokka is gross!" Zuko just hugged her tighter.

The members of his council with children just smiled at the outburst while ushering their colleagues out of the room.

Later Zuko asked what their daughter meant by 'Uncle Sokka is gross!'

"Oh, well, you know how she said she didn't want to be a princess so in the South Pole she was treated as just my daughter, no titles. She had to do chores and I may have purposely given her Sokka's socks to wash to help her appreciate what she has."

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><p><strong>17 Vague<strong>

(I BLAME THE NEW KORRA CLIP THAT HAS A DRAGON AND HOPEFULLY OLD!ZUKO ON SAID DRAGON)

"Do you have any idea what Zuko wants to show us?" Sokka asked as he walked with his sister to the courtyard they had to meet Zuko in.

"Not a clue, all his letter said was he had a surprise and wanted to show me and you if you were still visiting the Fire Nation," she replied. "If it's some new firebending move again please don't make fun of him this time."

"He didn't even use the fancy tap dancing to fight Azula." Katara and Sokka's eyes momentarily hurt as they adjusted to the bright courtyard. "Maybe it's a sword I can borrow-WHAT IS THAT!?"

Katara turned to look at what had Sokka's mouth hanging open and him pointing frantically. It looked like, no it couldn't be…

"Katara look at my dragon!" Zuko shouted happily. That was what Zuko was currently dismounting, a rather large red dragon that then nuzzled his neck. She blinked again. "She's really sweet so don't be scared."

Sokka just kept opening and closing his mouth. "I thought you said they were extinct," Katara finally said.

"And so are skybison and flying lemurs but Aang found more of those," Zuko replied as he scratched the dragon behind her ears.

"I, well, she can't sleep in the bedroom," Katara told her husband.

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><p><strong>18 Pieces<strong>

"You didn't have to come," Zuko told her as she dragged him out of his office.

"If you didn't want me to come then you shouldn't have written to me. Come on, we're going to go do something and possible get you a drink because that's what people do after a bad break up," Katara said.

"Thank you," he mumbled because he know she'd help him pick up the pieces of his life whenever he needed it.

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><p><strong>19 Shiver<strong>

Katara's whole body shock as Zuko's hand ghosted down her arm.

"Are you cold?" He asked. She nodded and let him pull her closer. She nuzzled his neck, breathing in his scent of smoke and sandalwood soap. She shivered again.

"Still cold?"

"Mmm something like that. But I'm warmer in your arms."

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><p><strong>20 Ripple<strong>

It starts innocently enough.

"Wow you two work really well together," Toph says off handily one day. Zuko and Katara shrug, they've moved past their differences and both just want to keep things orderly.

It grows with time.

"Nephew she's a wonderful girl," Iroh says with a nudge.

"Who?" Zuko asks.

"Katara." Zuko turns to look at the waterbender who's helping in Uncle's tea shop and considers the old man's words.

Until its too big to ignore.

"You're going to marry that boy," Kanna tells her granddaughter.

"Huh?" Katara mumbles as she stirs the pot of sea prunes.

"That firebender who keeps apologizing to me. You're going to marry him, I see the way you two look at each other."

Katara's spoon slips from her fingers and wonders how many other people can see that she and Zuko are getting much more serious than they were.

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><p><strong>21 Disaster<strong>

"Isn't your and Katara's first anniversary coming up?" Aang asked during a break between meetings.

Zuko stopped walking and swore under his breath. "I completely forgot," he admitted.

"Don't worry," the Avatar reassured him, "Katara probably has nothing planned and isn't expecting anything." Zuko looked at the maintainer of balance in the world and thought that he would never be able to maintain peace in a relationship with that mentality.

For the next two days Zuko tried to plan something special for Katara. Then, when everything was supposed to go right everything went wrong.

The flowers were half dead, the cook was sick and the backup had no idea what the menu was supposed to be, Zuko had hidden his gift for her so well that he lost it, and, to top if off, he lost his voice that morning.

"This is a disaster," he wheezed when the dessert of flaming cherries was put on the table.

"I think it's sweet," Katara assured him with a kiss.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I don't own.

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><p><strong>22 Sea<strong>

"The ocean is very important to the Water Tribes," Hakoda explains to Zuko like he's five. Zuko nods anyway. "We have to respect it and try to make a life from it. It's very important that you know how to navigate the open sea."

"I captained a ship for three years," Zuko assures his hopefully future father-in-law.

"Made of steal and powered by steam," Hakoda countered. "To fully understand you have to ice dodge in a boat piloted by your own power." Zuko gulped but agreed.

Later Katara helped heal the bruise on his arm from where the rudder smacked him but also kissed him on the forehead over his mark of the brave.

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><p><strong>23 Reconciliation<strong>

He knows that he's still not fully forgiven once they climb on to Appa. "I know a place we can hide out," he offers.

"Just tell me how to get there," she says in a tired voice. He begins navigating to Ember Island.

They land on the beach and he begins the journey up. Into the silence he says "I'm sorry for invading your village and for chasing you around the world. For tying you to a tree and throwing fire in your face when you offered to help Uncle."

He tries to look at her as they go. She surprises him when she says: "I'm sorry for threatening your life and for teasing you. For freezing you at the North Pole and for all the times I've yelled at you. And for not accepting your apologies."

He smiles and can hear Lo and Li's words about the island cleansing everything and thinks that maybe now he and Katara can move on.

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><p><strong>24 Blaze<strong>

(because there was a comment about baby dragons)

Katara rushed out into the garden, water trailing behind her. She wasn't sure what had caused the sudden blaze (she had her suspicious about two certain firebenders practicing) but she needed to control it, now.

She did, in fact, find her two firebenders but they were not the source of the inferno. "Mommy look!" Her daughter squealed. "The rocks turned into dragons! Now I can have one like Daddy!" She said as she picked up the nearest one (a purple dragon that looked to already have teeth).

Katara just stared. "I…didn't know your dragon could lay eggs."

Zuko shrugged as he picked pieces of egg shell off the blue one (the third baby dragon was red and currently crawling towards her). "I didn't think she couldn't and you remember how she was gone for little. I guess she found a boy dragon."

"Dragons still can't sleep inside," she told the now pouting firebenders.

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><p><strong>25 Shower<strong>

Sokka was going to owe me big time, Katara thought as she turned off the water. She'd just spent the past five hours taking care of her drunk, then throwing up, then slightly sleeping, then finally passed out brother. She'd needed a shower before leaving and since he'd missed the toliet a few times in his bathroom (she envied the honors dorm and their suites with two bathrooms for two people, she was so going to apply for one next year) she was using his roommate's.

She was just about to get out when the door opened. No, no, no, she thought. Zuko can't be awake yet…please let him just be going to the bath-

Then a very naked Zuko stepped into his shower and turned into a naked and surprised Zuko at her scream.

It took them two months to finally admit they'd liked what they saw and another two before they were in the shower together again.

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><p><strong>26 Flash<strong>

He sees the bright light headed for her. He jumps but he's not quick enough and there's the smell of burning flesh in the air he's tried to forget and a heap of blue on the ground.

He roars (or at least he thinks that's the sound he makes) and lights the entire square on fire and he's going to do it, he's going to murder his sister and-

He bolts awake, panicked because it can't be real and then Katara stirs beside him and her hand gently rubs his back. "It was a bad dream," she mumbles in her half awake state, "I'll hold you while you sleep."

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><p><strong>27 Electric<strong>

"We should stop sneaking around," Zuko says as he claws at the tie on Katara's dress.

"No, too fun," Katara says as her nails scratch down his back. He groans into her mouth as he kisses her.

He's just about got the tie undone when he hears the faint cry of "Mommy" and he freezes. "Katara she wants you," he pants.

She buries her face in his shoulder before stepping away from her husband, quickly straightening her dress and then, with the pose a Fire Lady should possess, she steps out of the supply closet to find her daughter.

Zuko takes a little longer to compose himself. They really need to stop, but the thrill is worth it.

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><p><strong>28 Soulmate<strong>

Aunt Wu told her she'd marry a powerful bender. That she'd die by the time her fourth great-grandchild was born.

The Fortuneteller never mentioned she'd meet her soulmate. Or that he'd marry another woman and be her best friend.

Now, a life time later, she sits with her soulmate, her person, and drinks the tea he made and listens to him tell the story of how the new Avatar saved his grandson from drowning.

She looks up and smiles and, even though she loves her children and wouldn't trade her life for anything, she wonders what it would have been like to live in a palace and see her children run around with flames in their hair.

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><p><strong>It's done! I can't believe I did them all!<strong>


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